H.R. 2987, 21st Century Conservation Service Corps Act of 2017

Summary

H.R. 2987 would amend the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993, which governs programs that employ young adults to work on lands managed by the Department of the Interior and the Forest Service. Under current law, those programs are permanently authorized to receive appropriations totaling $12 million a year.

Existing Public Lands Corps (PLC) programs vary by agency and funding source. Although historically some agencies have received specific appropriations to carry out the program, the National Park Service often has derived funding from recreation fees that the agency can use without further appropriation action. The Department of the Interior cannot provide information regarding the amount of funding each agency has allocated to implement PLC programs in recent years.

In addition to changing the name of the Public Lands Corps to the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps, H.R. 2987 would:

Expand the program to include at least 11 additional federal agencies,

Assist Indian tribes and related youth groups with the operation of the Indian Youth 21st Century Conservation Service Corps,

Require participating agencies to designate program coordinators,

Open the program to veterans under the age of 35, and

Authorize agencies to use appropriated funds to provide transportation subsidies to program participants.

Although H.R. 2987 would expand the program and authorize several new activities under the Public Lands Corps Act, the bill would not increase the amounts authorized to be appropriated under that act. Thus, CBO estimates that implementing the bill would not affect the federal budget over the 2019-2023 period.

Enacting H.R. 2987 would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply

CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 2987 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2029.

H.R. 2987 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.